Possum Point Players take a final trip to 'South Pacific' April 11-13
Possum Point Players will perform a last weekend of the Tony Award-winning musical “South Pacific” Friday to Sunday, April 11 to 13.
As the beach, palm trees and a pier took form on stage in Possum Hall, stage director Jim Hartzell and assistant stage director Donna de Kuyper say they have had the pleasure of seeing a cast of Delawareans of various ages and backgrounds become island residents and Navy Seabees and nurses serving in the 1940s. In the cast of 29, audiences will see some newcomers along with several familiar faces. However, according to de Kuyper, some well-known actors are performing in roles unfamiliar in character from previous appearances.
Steve Givens, who was the persistent Javert in “Les Miserables,” is the charming French planter, Emile DeBecque. He adores his children and becomes enchanted with the fresh-faced and forward Ensign Nellie Forbush. In the role of Nellie, young character actress Abby Toomey goes from the bawdy pub mistress in “Les Miserables” to her first ingénue role. Dory McCormick as Ngana and Dillon Mangene as Jerome are the children.
Matt King as Lt. Joe Cable graduates from a wine-swilling student in “Les Miserables” to a lovestruck young man who sings the classic "Younger Than Springtime." Leslie Boslet, as the resident entrepreneur, Bloody Mary, raucously peddles some South Seas relics that Hartzell admits were not easy to find.
Hartzell said, “Some things we just couldn’t come up with from our props or secondhand stores. The Billis washing machine and shower were created by Possums crews for Steve Dow as Luther Billis.” The comic sailor Billis adeptly drives his superior officers to distraction as he makes do as only a Seabee can.
De Kuyper sums up her feelings about the classic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, “Comedy, tragedy, romance, war, prejudice, and arguably the most beautiful score in musical theater history. What's not to love ... and learn from?”
Costume director Louise Hartzell kept a crew of nine cutting, sewing and shopping to clothe 29 cast members in period clothes. She said only a crew of talented, high-caliber seamstresses could have pulled together a show like South Pacific in such a timely manner.
Friday and Saturday performances are at 7:30 p.m. and the Sunday performance is at 2 p.m. Tickets are $23 for adults, and seniors and students $22, and may be reserved online at www.possumpointplayers.org. For information, call 302-856-3460 or visit Facebook.
